The Library PR Handbook: High Impact Communications by Mark R. Gould

Yes, another professional resource. This one I would describe as a “half and half”: half of the chapters were really useful and half I barely skimmed because I felt like they just didn’t apply. The chapters I found most useful:

Chapter 3: Can All This 2.0 Stuff Help Libraries with Promotion and Communicate Our Values?

Chapter 4: Using Op-Eds, Letters to the Editor, and State of the Library Reports to Inform Public Debate

Chapter 6: Harness a Celebrity Brand and Create Effective Print Public Service Announcements

Chapter 12: A Values-Based Approach to Successful Library Advocacy

Chapter 13: Building a Community: Empowering People as Messengers

The one thing our library did immediate on my recommendation from reading Chapter 3 was to create a Wikipedia entry which we hadn’t had. So this book was definitely helpful to us. I would recommend reading this one, but not necessarily making it a keeper on your professional bookshelf.